Florida State fans might be feeling a little bit of PTSD after watching their team drop a heartbreaker in overtime to ACC foe Virginia on Friday night.
Seminoles receiver Duce Robinson appeared to have caught a touchdown in the extra period that would've tied the game and given his team an opportunity to win, but after replay review it was determined he lost control of the ball and stepped out of bounds. It was one of the most controversial calls of the season to date.
Viewers got a chance to see and listen to the ACC Operations Center when an apparent touchdown catch by Florida State's Duce Robinson was overturned and ruled incomplete.
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 27, 2025
"We just can't thank the ACC enough, for allowing us to listen to that conversation," Bob Wischusen pic.twitter.com/ssx325MNvc
Ultimately, the Seminoles couldn't score on fourth down and the Virginia faithful rushed the field after taking down the No. 8 team in the country. It will be interesting to see where Florida State falls to in the latest AP rankings.
What is Florida State's clearest path to the College Football Playoff?
It's highly unlikely the Seminoles will drop out of the rankings entirely for this loss but they now have a lot less room for error the rest of the season when it comes to pursuing the College Football Playoff.
Their clearest path to the postseason tournament is simple. They must win out and claim the ACC title. That would give them the auto-bid and likely a high seed among the 12 participants.
Georgia Tech (5-0), Louisville (4-0) and Miami (4-0) are the last remaining undefeated teams in the conference through five weeks. Of course, conference records will matter the most when pursuing the conference crown but if Florida State stumbles again (particularly in the ACC title game) then its overall resume will be heavily considered.
The Seminoles' Week 1 upset over a ranked Alabama team is its biggest asset but, at the moment, they only have one more opportunity to face a ranked foe the rest of the season. Week 6 will see a battle of Florida between the Seminoles and No. 2 Miami where the former has more to lose than the latter.
It's not necessarily a must-win but it will be Florida State's most valuable matchup and walking away with a win should cement its place in the CFP bracket given it takes care of business the rest of the way.